France to open tender for 3,000 MW of solar plants -ministry

PARIS: France will launch a series of tenders for a combined capacity of 3,000 megawatts (MW) of solar plants, the energy ministry said in a statement on Wednesday.

The ministry will launch a series of six tenders of 500 MW each, between 2017 and 2020, each spaced six months apart.

The ministry said this regular cadence would provide stability and visibility to the French solar industry and provide green jobs.

Bidders will benefit from France's new subsidy mechanism for solar power, introduced in May, under which they will receive a premium on top of the market price for the power they generate, which will guarantee a level of revenue to cover the investment.

Projects will be selected based on price and carbon footprint, the ministry said. Cooperative projects run by groups of citizens will receive an additional premium.

In April, the government set a target to boost France's relatively small solar capacity from the current 6,700 MW to 10,200 MW by end 2018 and 18,200 to 20,200 MW by 2023.

“To save the environment and to fight climate change, my government has planned a major campaign. By 2022, we want to generate 175 GW of renewable energy. In the last three years, we have already achieved 60 GW or around one-third of this target,” he said.